SUMMARY The Preclinical Core (PC) will support the goals of the COBRE Center for Brain Recovery and Repair by establishing a much-needed centralized resource of expertise, training and instrumentation for high quality automated behavioral and structural analyses, broadly applicable across a range of preclinical models of brain and behavioral illnesses. Currently, there is a breadth of investigator expertise in preclinical models of neurological disease across multiple departments at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, but complete lack of a centralized facility that can provide the expertise, training and instrumentation necessary for automated behavioral assessment and structural analyses. In support of the COBRE Center mission, establishment of the PC will accelerate the trajectory of Junior COBRE PIs toward independent NIH-R01 level funding, by providing the know-how, training, instrumentation and proficiency necessary for high throughput preclinical studies of brain recovery and repair. The PC will also foster multidisciplinary interactions between established and young UNM investigators in the discovery of novel therapies for brain recovery and repair using preclinical models that will enhance the overall level of excellence in this vital area of neuroscience research. The following aims will be addressed: Specific Aim 1: Create a centralized resource that provides expertise, training and instrumentation for automated behavioral assessment and structural analyses, applicable across a broad range of preclinical models of brain and behavioral disorders. Specific Aim 2: Support the research objectives of Junior COBRE PIs and cultivate a new cohort of COBRE investigators using preclinical models within the Center for Brain Recovery and Repair. Specific Aim 3: Develop a PC user base of established, funded investigators for continued growth and sustainability of the core facility. Achieving these aims will be essential to the long-term viability of the Center for Brain Recovery and Repair and will enhance multidisciplinary collaborations at UNM, across New Mexico and other IDeA states.